


Never Been Kissed

by Neverever



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Prom, alternate universe - superhero high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 01:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4160517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Steve have been long time friends at Shield Academy, a high school for wanna-be superheroes and support teams. Junior Prom is coming up and Tony plans to ask Steve to the prom. But complications happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Been Kissed

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [890fifth Avenue's](http://890fifth.tumblr.com/) fourteen round prompt, More. Inspired by Sky High.
> 
> Thanks to my beta.

“And that’s our update for the Shield Academy Junior Prom, Headmaster Fury,” Pepper announced, standing in front of two large display boards with a schedule, three different themes and color boards, pictures of the location, and lists of possible DJs for the event. 

Jan bopped her head in agreement. “We just need permission to sign the contract for the DJ.” 

Fury glanced down at the extra-large, three-ring binder filled with information about Pepper and Jan’s plans for the Prom. He waved his hand. “You have my permission to go ahead, Ms. Potts. Talk to Ms. Hill about the contracts.”

“Thank you,” Pepper and Jan said. They quickly packed up their presentation and headed out of the office. Fury could hear their shrieks of joy echo down the hall.

Running a superhero prep school had a lot in common with other academies and high schools, Fury thought. The kids were the same in many ways, except for the powers. Though he doubted the principal of the average high school had to deal with sentient plants bursting out of the school labs. That was an average Tuesday.

He hit the intercom. “Who’s next, Mrs. Arbogast?”

“Steve Rogers.”

He sighed. “Send him in.”

Steve Rogers, barely five feet, four inches and maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, shuffled in, lugging an oversize backpack. He had the start of a massive shiner on his right eye and was holding a tissue to his bloody nose. He sat down, brushed blond hair out of his eyes, and stared fiercely back at Fury.

“Mr. Rogers, why are you here?” Fury said. He could guess why. He met with Steve almost weekly over whatever fights and arguments the kid got himself into. Fury had a bet going with Associate Headmaster Hill over whether Steve was going to graduate with all his limbs attached and concussion free.

Steve squared his shoulders. “Got into a fight.” 

“I can see that.” Fury looked quickly over the file that Mrs. Arbogast emailed him. Not really a surprise that Steve had gotten into a fight with another student who was harassing a girl at her locker. Surprisingly, Steve had been the victor in the fight. Fury should be happy that Steve was clearly learning something in Hand-to-Hand Fight Training. But now was not the time. “Why didn’t you mention this to a teacher or Ms. Hill or myself? We’re trained to handle this –“

“I can handle it. I don’t like seeing people bully other people. We’re here to learn how to be heroes or hero support, right?”

Fury was quickly running out of ways to discipline Steve. And what was worse, Steve usually had a good point. Last year, he led a revolt against one of the Fight trainers when he thought the trainer was discriminating against the non-powered students in the class. He won. “Detention, Mr. Rogers. And we’re going to have a long talk about your actions and how you could make better choices. Dismissed.”

Steve gathered up his backpack and shuffled towards the door. Fury thought, not for the first time, how Rogers was a big dog in a little-dog body. Physically, he wasn’t superhero material but he was going to be one hell of a Shield agent. Assuming he made it to graduation alive and survived the training program.

Before he could ask if there was anyone next, a soot-covered Tony Stark popped through the door. He grinned at Steve, and they exchanged fist bumps as Steve left. Stark and Rogers were as thick as thieves and practically joined at the hip since they met the first day at school.

“Mr. Stark,” Fury acknowledged. “Looks like you’re missing part of an eyebrow.”

“Headmaster Fury, Tony Stark is on his way to your office,” Mrs. Arbogast announced over the office intercom.

“In my defense, it was only a little explosion in the robotics lab. I put the fire out before it spread to the other labs. And I can totally rebuild the destroyed equipment. But you’re going to need to replace that wall – ”

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose. It was a long, hard day when Stark showed up in his office. “Please explain, Mr. Stark. Slowly.”

~~~~~

At lunch a week later, Steve listened as Rhodey mercilessly teased Tony about the scruff on his face. Tony was trying to grow a goatee, for some reason, which Rhodey insisted was not working for him. Steve thought Tony looked cute. But then again, Steve always thought Tony looked cute. 

Tony and Steve ate lunch with a large crowd of friends. There was Pepper, who was terrifyingly efficient and organized. Rhodey, who was great and sensible and seemed to say "Tony, no" a lot. Jan, a budding designer, who talked about fashion as much as she talked about punching out bad guys. Hank, who talked to ants, and Bruce, who studied medicine and gamma radiation. Sam, Clint, Jess and Carol joined in when they weren’t busy with training or at class.

Pepper looked around the table and asked, “So who wants to volunteer on the Junior Prom committee?” 

Jan excitedly said yes and poked Hank until he agreed. Steve froze. He glanced at Tony, who shook his head and mouthed, “No way.”

“Come on, Tony,” Pepper said. “Vision and Wanda have already volunteered.”

“No. Not into that sort of committee work. Besides, I have to start working on Rhodey’s suit.”

Later as they walked to class, Tony snorted. “Prom. Who needs it.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed half-heartedly. Not that he thought he’d be invited or find someone to ask. But a little part of him thought it might be fun to go with a group of friends.

~~~~~

Steve trudged up the bleachers, wheezing all the way. He wanted to get a great view of Sam’s first flight. And there he was on the field, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting for the signal from the Powered Flight instructor to take off. Sam had talked about being selected for powered flight and his wings for two straight months. 

Sam was also going to go to Shield Institute after graduation since he was designated a future superhero. Steve was far less certain about his future after the academy. He had the suspicion that he was going to land at the bottom of the pecking order in the superhero world – somewhere out there providing hero support.

All Steve had going for him was a hell of a lot of determination, courage in truckloads and the ability to show up at class on time, even covered in bruises and wheezing. Those reasons alone had to be why he was at Shield Academy. Because he had no idea why he was at the superhero school in the first place. As far as he could tell, Steve knew he was not even sidekick material, much less a hero.

He rummaged around for his sketch book. Carol, Vision and Thor were making lazy circles in the air above the football field. He liked sketching Carol as she flew, her sheer exhilaration was infectious. The moleskin he pulled out of his backpack was filled with sketches of Tony. He blushed and shoved it back in the bag, afraid that anyone saw it.

“Missed you in detention,” Tony said as he climbed the steps to where Steve was sitting.

“Erskine wanted to see me,” Steve explained. Erskine was always checking on Steve to see how things were going. Besides the usual blood tests, they had spent a lot of Steve’s free period talking about the Art of War and the other military strategy books Steve was reading. If Steve couldn’t be a hero, then maybe he could offer something else to the hero world.

Dr. Erskine had convinced Sarah Rogers that her son deserved to go to Shield Academy. As much as Sarah loved her son, she couldn’t quite see how her skinny, short-for-his-age, asthmatic, fragile Steve qualified for the hero academy. Even if he got his bruises from trying to stop bullies from stealing lunch money and worse. Erskine took a shine to Steve, and finally Sarah relented, conceding that Steve might learn to fight better or channel his budding activism into less dangerous ways.

Still dressed in the torn and burned jeans and ratty t-shirt he wore in the workshop, Tony sat down next to Steve. His eyebrow had grown back from that lab accident he had a few weeks ago. Tony pulled his backpack onto his lap. “Hey, look at this,” Tony said, with all the pride his seventeen-year-old body could muster. He showed Steve a red and gold gauntlet.

“That’s great, Tony,” Steve said enthusiastically. He turned the gauntlet over in his hands. 

“Now imagine that as a whole suit, from feet to head!” Tony crowed. “I’ve got most of the suit built now. I’m going to try flying in a week or two.”

“Wow,” Steve said. “That’s absolutely brilliant.”

Steve knew that Tony, with his dark hair and sharp blue eyes, was destined to be a great hero. He could do anything with a box of scraps and a wrench. He was funny, brave, clever, and bold. Steve had seen the sleek, metal robotic suit Tony was building in one of the academy’s workshops and he was in awe of Tony. As far as Steve was concerned, Tony could do anything, go anywhere, and be anything. And Steve felt lucky that Tony considered him a friend.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Tony flashed a brilliant smile at Steve. Steve’s heart skipped a beat. Tony pulled out his tablet – something of his own invention – and showed Steve pictures of the suit. He leaned close to Steve as he flicked through the pictures. “And that’s where I am now. I have to work on the flight systems, then I’ll be done,” Tony concluded.

Down on the field, Sam was taking test runs in preparation for take-off. Steve leaned forward, his chin in his hands, to watch carefully, not wanting to miss a minute.

“Hey, Steve, are you thinking about the prom?”

“Hmmm. Haven’t thought about it at all,” Steve admitted.

“It’s in a few months. Pepper can’t stop talking about it. I was thinking maybe you – if you don’t have a date or anything -“

“Hey! Look at Sam!” Steve shouted, jumping to his feet.

Sam was running, then leaping, then jumping into the air and taking flight. He was now flying, his manufactured wings flapping perfectly. Steve wished he could see better because he knew that Sam had to be smiling and whooping it up as he flew.

“Good for Sam,” Tony agreed. Deflated, he watched with an excited Steve as Sam repeatedly took off and landed.   
~~~~~

At a media center table, Steve stared at the laptop in front of him, trying to will into existence his paper on supervillain monologues. He also had his Tony moleskin open next to his laptop. He might be have been procrastinating by sketching Tony. A lot. 

Sam dropped into the chair next to him. “Man, this Modern Supervillians paper is kicking my ass. I’ve been looking for stuff for the past hour.”

Quietly closing his sketchbook to not bring attention to it, Steve turned to Sam. “What’s yours on?”

“Supervillain lairs. I was going for the whole volcanic island versus undersea lair conflict.”

“You can’t get 3 pages out of that?”

Sam shrugged. “Personally, if I were a supervillain, I’d go for the evil corporate headquarters skyscraper. Before you ask -- better coffee shops and restaurants than undersea lairs.”

Steve laughed. “I have supervillain monologues. But I have to hand the paper in by Thursday.”

“Thursday? But it’s due on Friday.”

“I’m off on Friday. Dr. Erskine wants to try this new treatment. He thinks it could really reduce the effects of my asthma -- maybe even eliminate it.”

Sam cocked an eyebrow. He leaned forward and said, “Are you sure about this, Steve?”

“Yeah.” Steve knew the risks, he’d talked them over with his mom. “Yeah. The asthma can’t get worse, you know. If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t that’s okay too.”

“If you’re okay with it --”

“Seriously, Sam. I’ve dealt with worse. I might miss a couple of days, that’s all.” He hoped it was only a couple days. He didn’t want to miss Tony finally trying out the suit he had worked on so long.

Steve noticed Tony walking through the nearly empty media center as if he was looking for someone. He waved at him. Tony sauntered over to Steve’s table, a messenger bag swinging from his shoulder, texting as he went. 

Sam narrowed his eyes, giving a sidelong glance at Steve. “Hey, catch you later, Steve.” He clapped him on the shoulder.

Tony asked, “How are the supervillain papers going?”

“Ugh,” Sam replied. “Not good. I got to go work on it, now. Bye, Steve.” He nearly tripped over a chair in his haste to leave.

Steve frowned, wondering why Sam was in such a hurry. “I’m trying to get it done.”

Tony commandeered Sam’s chair. Sitting down, he drummed his fingers on the table, then pushed his hair out of his eyes. “So, yeah, I’m working on it too.”

“Did you get Robots?”

“Near enough -- Cyborgs.”

“I’m working on monologues.”

“Oh, great. So, um, yeah.” Tony swallowed. “Say, did you hear -- did you hear that Jan’s going to the prom with Hank?”

“That’s not exactly shocking news,” Steve replied. 

“I wasn’t sure about going, but if everyone else is …. um, are you thinking of going?”

“To the prom? I don’t know. I haven’t thought much about it, to be honest.” 

“It’s a big deal, I guess.” Tony traced a pattern on the table with his finger and sighed. “So, yeah.” He looked down at his hands.

It was the highlight of Steve’s day when he spent time with Tony. But right now, he really had to get this paper done. And he was completely confused by whatever was going with Tony.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Steve asked. “At home?”

Tony looked confused. “Yeah, sure. Nothing new there.”

“Even with your dad?”

“He’s the usual pain in the ass.”

“Okay …”

Tony’s cell rang. He scrambled for the phone, tucked into a pocket in the messenger bag. “It’s got to be my mom. No one ever calls,” Tony muttered. “See you later, Steve,” he added.

~~~~~

Operation Ask Steve was failing miserably. Tony tried two more times to corner Steve before Friday to ask him to the prom. And everytime he started to say “How about going to the prom with me,” he froze. Completely froze and ended up staring at Steve’s feet or hands and babbling incoherently.

He could talk to Steve about anything, his robots, the suit, classes, baseball, movies, anything. He could talk Steve into just about anything. But he couldn’t ask Steve to the prom. Because he was terrified that Steve would say no.

Tony wasn’t sure when his crush started. It wasn’t like this magic moment when suddenly he was in love with Steve. It crept up on Tony little by little until he needed Steve like air. Steve was the greatest thing in the world -- his bright blue eyes, the way his lip curled up before a fight, how he shrugged off his problems and kept going no matter how hard things got. And Steve never caught a break. 

He loved hanging with his bro Rhodey, playing video games and goofing around. It was different with Steve. He could sit forever next to Steve, watching him sketch, biting the top of his pencil as he concentrated or with a slight smile when he liked something he drew. Steve was something special.

He could lose all that if Steve didn’t feel the same way.

After his Advanced Physics for Technopath Heroes class, Tony and Jan listened to an excited Pepper talk about the romantic way Happy Hogan had asked her to go to the prom with him. Tony didn’t know Happy that well -- he was a senior specializing in bodyguarding. But he apparently was into Pepper in a big way.

“So, have you asked someone to the prom yet?” Jan asked Tony.

“I don’t know if I can go. I might to have to go somewhere with my parents,” Tony replied. He hadn’t told Jan or Pepper about his plans for the prom. “Hey, have you seen Steve today?”

“I haven’t seen him at all,” Jan said. “That’s strange. He’s usually hanging around somewhere.”

Tony went hunting for Steve in all the usual places. He finally ran into Sam, who said that Steve was out for a couple of days. Something to do with a medical procedure. 

“But he’s not answering my texts or anything,” Tony pointed out. Steve always texted him back. Always. Even when he’d been in the ER for an asthma attack.

“Man, what can I say? I haven’t heard from him either,” Sam said. “He should be back on Wednesday. He might not be in the mood to talk to anyone yet.”

Tony sent a few more texts, and even broke down and called Steve. But got nothing. 

Steve wasn’t in on Wednesday or even Thursday. Tony was going out of his mind with worry. He tracked down Sam, who admitted he hadn’t heard from Steve either. Sam promised he’d call Mrs. Rogers to find out about Steve. But apparently even Mrs. Rogers wasn’t answering her phone.

On Friday, Tony burst into the Administration office and demanded to see Hill or Fury. Hill sat him down in her office and asked, “What’s this all about, Tony?”

“I want to know -- no, I demand to know where you’re hiding Steve.” He sat up straight in the chair, looking her square in the eye. “I’m not leaving without answers.”

Hill face-palmed. “We’re not hiding Steve anywhere. He’s out for medical reasons.”

“I’ve tried to reach him. Steve always talks to me when he’s in the hospital. This isn’t like him at all,” Tony insisted. “You have to know what’s going on with him …”

She sighed. “Trust me. Steve is fine, Tony. He’ll be back Monday.”

“Okay,” Tony spat out. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Steve was in terrible danger somewhere.

As Tony headed for the office door, Hill called out , “Tony -- don’t go to his apartment, okay?”

So much for Plan C. He didn’t entirely trust Hill or Fury, but he knew to not cross them. He’d been in trouble enough times since he arrived at the Academy to know when he could push and when he couldn’t. This wasn’t the time to push his luck.

He was going to worry about Steve all weekend long, he just knew it.

~~~~~

Steve finally texted him on Sunday to say he’d back in school on Monday. Tony was unbelievably relieved and besieged Steve with texts. But Steve didn’t respond. Tony figured they run into each other in the hall or catch up at lunch.

From the minute he arrived at school Tony was kept busy in the workshop, demonstrating his suit to his teachers and helping with teaching the first years. So by lunchtime on Monday, Tony was the only person who hadn’t seen Steve. When he surfaced from the workshop and his Advanced Physics class, he ran into a tsunami of rumors and whispered comments about Steve. None of which were remotely believable, even at a high school for superheroes and support teams.

He joined the usual Monday lunch crowd and launched himself into his pizza. Rhodey began a very complicated story about his weekend.

Jan asked, “Hey, Steve, going to join us?”

Tony glanced up to see a blond Adonis smiling at Jan. He had honestly never seen that kid before. Surely he would have noticed tall, built, and handsome by now. Wow, it was going to be inconvenient to have two Steves around... wait. Tony did a double take as he recognized Steve’s clear, sky-blue eyes.. 

“Steve?!” he asked.

“Hi Tony!” Steve said cheerfully. “Thought I’d see you sooner.” He pulled up a chair to the table.

So, the rumors were true. Steve had undergone some sort of transformation and added six inches, a few extra muscles, and generally did not look like everyday fragile Steve at all. 

Steve was hot. Supernova hot. Tony lost contact with his lower jaw.

“What happened to you, Steve?” Rhodey asked in shock like everyone else at the table.

“Um, well, aftereffects of my asthma treatment,” Steve offered. “That’s the best way I can explain it.” He smiled bashfully.

The rest of the table erupted with a ton of questions for Steve. Tony didn’t hear a single word. He had no idea what to think. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything left of the old Steve.

~~~~~

Tony heard through the rumor mill (Pepper) that by Wednesday afternoon Steve had received seven invites to the prom. He had turned down the askers politely. But the point was that Steve was a hot property on the unattached list. 

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Steve had been like Tony’s own special secret for a year now. He thought that Steve was just the greatest thing since sliced bread. But now he cringed when he saw people fawning over Steve in the hallway when he knew darn well that they never noticed Steve before.

Now that Carol and Rhodey were going to the prom together, Pepper talked about how great it would be if Tony would ask someone and they could go all together. Jan had a list of people she thought Tony might consider. As they made suggestions, Tony watched a grumpy Steve walk by with a new crowd of would-be friends. 

Steve smiled, his whole face lighting up when he saw Tony. “I haven’t seen you for days,” he said.

Tony shrugged. “I’ve been busy, you know, with work and stuff.” Steve was still smiling at him and Tony had a funny, swooping feeling in his stomach. 

“Maybe catch you later?”

“Sure -- I’ll be in the workshop,” Tony blurted out.

Steve nodded, grinning stupidly at Tony, and only moved when someone tugged his sleeve reminding him about class.

~~~~~

Tony had had this idea since he started at Shield Academy about building a robotic suit that he could use to fly and shoot and fight supervillains. He had been working on the designs for more than a year. The whole engineering process was taking far longer than he had originally planned, which was a constant source of irritation. 

Right now, he was piling through the supply closet looking for inspiration for his next steps. He had the perfect design for boot jets. But he needed the right parts.

“Uh, Tony?” Steve asked. 

“Oh, yeah, Steve -- over here,” Tony replied.

He was never going to be used to Steve version 2. Steve hadn’t apparently figured out what his shirt size was, since he was wearing a shirt one size small. And his smile was more brilliant, the voice deeper. New Steve was leaning against a worktable, his backpack open at his feet. “Excuse me,” he said, brushing cookie crumbs off his chest. “I’m pretty hungry all the time now.”

If Tony couldn’t talk to Steve before, he was more than tongue-tied now. He mumbled something staring at the ground.

“Tony, are you okay?” Steve asked, his face the picture of concern.

“Go to the Prom with me,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“GO TO THE PROM WITH ME.” Tony wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole. It was like he had absolutely no control over himself. 

“Oh. That’s what I thought you said,” Steve said.

This, this was not the response Tony was hoping for. “You know, Steve, I’ve been working on the suit like day and night, whenever they let me in here, and I haven’t been sleeping at home working on schematics. My mom is rationing my coffee intake -- I think she bribed all the coffee shops in a ten-mile radius not to sell me coffee. So I can’t be held accountable for anything I say --”

Steve stood up straight and put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. Boy, was his hand warm and large, Tony thought as he froze in place. “Tony, before I say anything, be honest with me.”

Tony nodded. 

“Would you have asked me to go to the prom before, um, my transformation?”

“Technically, Steve, I didn’t ask --”

“Tony.”

Taking a step backward, he knocked over Steve’s backpack, spilling the contents all over the floor. Including that mysterious sketchbook Steve always hid from Tony. Steve didn’t even flinch, but kept his eyes on Tony.

The words stuck in Tony’s mouth, and he gulped a couple of times.

Steve’s now-broad shoulders slumped. “I hoped -- no, I knew you were different from everyone else. That you wouldn’t treat me any differently than you did before. But if you’re only asking me because I look like this now, then you aren’t any different than the rest of the school.”

Tony shuffled to the side, trying desperately to regain some control over himself to reply to Steve. He tipped over the sketchbook, revealing a half dozen sketches of himself. “What’s this?” he asked, pointing to the sketchbook. 

Steve scrambled to retrieve the sketches. He blushed a deep red. “Just some sketches.”

“Of me?” Tony said. He got to the sketchbook first. He leafed through the book, seeing sketch upon sketch of himself. Steve was an amazing artist. There he was pushing his welding goggles back on his head. Another sketch of him chewing on a pencil and yet another of him laughing at something. There were even more that made it clear about how Steve truly felt about him. “Steve. Wow.”

“Please, Tony -- give it back.”

Reluctantly, Tony closed the book and handed it back to Steve. “So, Steve --”

Steve was still beet red and he rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the floor. “Yeah, I have a crush on you. But if --”

“You idiot, I’ve been trying to ask you to go to the prom with me for weeks. You didn’t even notice! And you’ve been doing these sketches. Seriously, Steve.”

Steve gaped at Tony. He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. “You never once said anything about taking me to the prom.”

“I understand that a proposal is on the table. You haven’t answered me.”

Steve laughed. “You were planning to ask me before?”

“Yes! In my defense, it is hard to think when you smile at me. Whether you’re Steve 1.0 or 2.0.”

A smile grew on Steve’s face as bright as the sun. “I’ll go to the prom with you,” Steve agreed.

“See how easy that was,” Tony pointed out. Steve groaned.

~~~~~

Tony insisted on picking up Steve at his apartment. Ready long before he needed to be, Steve sat in the living room, nervous about the whole thing. He felt stiff and uncomfortable in the rented suit. His mother had called in a favor or two so that he had nice, last-minute tuxedo for the prom. He’d picked up the boutonniere from the florist after school. He had gotten a new haircut and showered twice. He was as ready as he ever was going to be.

His mother sat knitting in a chair nearby. The soft click of the needles wore on him as he grew worried about Tony. The knock on the door came in the nick of time. 

He rushed over to the door. And stood in shock in the doorway. Tony looked spectacular in his trim, designer tuxedo, brilliant red bowtie and cumberbund. 

“Are you going to invite me in or stand there staring?”

“Stand here staring,” Steve parroted back. 

“Come in, Tony,” his mother called out behind him.

“Hello Ms. Rogers,” Tony said, pouring on the charm.

With trembling hands, Steve pinned his boutonniere on Tony’s label, a wink from Tony nearly undoing him. Tony pinned his on Steve with far more polish. Steve’s mom brought out the camera and insisted on taking pictures of the boys in their sharp suits until Steve pleaded that they would be late. She fussed over his hair, adjusted his tie, and warned him about staying out too late.

“So what do you think your mom is going to do if I bring you back after curfew?” Tony said on the way to the car.

“I don’t want to find out,” Steve admitted.

Tony had his dad’s BMW for the evening. He opened the door for Steve. “Your coach awaits, sweet Prince,” he joked.

“We won’t be late for the Prom?” Steve asked.

“Nah. Just fashionably late.”

Tony drove more carefully than he would usually. First, because it was his dad’s car and Howard would skin him alive if he didn’t return the car without a scratch. Second, because he wanted to show Steve that he was the sort of responsible guy that would be an excellent boyfriend. He pulled up to a red light. 

“Look. Over there,” Steve said. He pointed at the bank and the drive-up ATM.

Tony nodded. “I see it.” Two guys hiding behind a pickup truck were breaking into the ATM. But Steve and Tony at the stoplight were at the perfect angle to see them attempt to jimmy the machine open with a crowbar.

“We have to stop them --”

“We could miss the prom --” Tony said, but was already turning into bank as soon as the light was green.

All that superhero academy training paid off. Steve grabbed a trash can lid as he rushed at the guy with the crowbar. Tony had one of his gauntlets with him and shoved it on his forearm. He pinned the other guy down with a repulsor blast. Steve tussled with the crowbar guy, finally knocking him out.

~~~~~

After the police arrived to take the would-be robbers into custody, Steve and Tony had to go to the police station to answer questions and fill out reports. “Sorry about ruining the prom,” Steve said to Tony as they sat in the station on a hard plastic bench waiting to be called.

“Oh, come on, we’d get in trouble with Fury if we didn’t try to stop a robbery.”

Steve laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. For a brief second, Tony saw the old Steve, the guy who’d been his friend for ages. Old Steve never went away. “I think Fury would have wanted us to call the police.”

“Eh.” Tony shrugged. He was still wearing his gauntlet and Steve had leaned the trashcan lid against the bench. “He can yell at us later.”

Smiling, Steve shook his head. “Worth it though.”

Tony licked his lips. Steve was so gorgeous, with his hair mussed up and the bowtie loose at his neck. He turned to Steve. “Could I -- may I -- may I kiss you?”

Steve flushed red. “Oh. Um. Sure.”

Tony leaned forward, closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Steve’s. A quick peck. And Tony wanted to try again. To get it right.

“I never kissed someone before,” Steve admitted. He squeezed Tony’s hand. 

“We’ll both need practice. Lots of it,” Tony agreed.

Steve kissed Tony quickly back. “Yeah. Probably.” He entwined his hand in Tony’s as they continued to wait.

~~~~~

When Nick Fury returned to the office on Monday morning, Maria Hill silently handed over a file with the police report from Friday night. He scanned through it quickly, closed the folder, and asked, “Where are they?”

“Waiting for you,” she replied.

“Let me finish my coffee first, then send them in,” Fury said. It wasn’t even 8:30 yet, and it was going to be a long, long week. 

On cue, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, fresh from a weekend of beating up criminals, showed up in Fury’s office. Fury first looked at Tony, with his shit-eating grin and the bandages on his right arm. Next, he looked over at Steve, who looked Fury right in the eye with a fierceness that dared him to say something to him and Tony.

“Well,” he said. There was not enough coffee in the world for this, Fury thought. “Anyone want to explain what happened on Friday night?”

“Sure,” Tony piped up. “It’s like this.”

Fury listened to his teenaged heroes, noting that Tony and Steve never stopped holding hands during the entire meeting. Senior year was going to be a wild ride with these two. Fury sighed, and made a mental note to stock up on antacids.


End file.
